Columns

By Grier Weeks
Executive Director
National Association to Protect Children
Knoxville, TN

Tommy Foster writes so soaringly about Virginia’s proud tradition of constitutional government he almost makes me wish my kin had never taken the Great Wagon Road out of Augusta County to settle in Carolina back before the war (“Long Arc of Government,” Feb. 5). But when Mr. Foster points blame at Virginia’s greatest sheriff, Mike Brown, his political science essay crashes to the ground.

What is the problem with the Town of Bedford and the County of Bedford Parks and Recreation?
I have been an umpire, official, and coach for over 30 years here in the Town and County of Bedford. Times have changed but there are still policies, procedures, disciplinary actions, and accountability for all who are involved with the Parks and Recreation program.

As we enjoy the 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia, no one wants to say out loud what we’re all thinking: Will there be a terrorist attack before it’s all done?
A Muslim separatist group that launched such attacks in December has pledged to strike again during these Olympics. Hopefully, those plans will be thwarted. But few seem to have much confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin to prevent it.

I wasn’t quite sure what we had elected back in November. Terry McAuliffe had no elected office track record, so it seemed we had elected a pig in a poke. Now, it’s reached the point at which the poke has been opened and we can see what sort of pig we bought. Virginians have clearly been left holding the bag.

Here we go again.
The Obama Administration continues to rewrite the law of the land, declaring Monday that most employers won’t be fined if they don’t offer workers health insurance.
And don’t forget, it was the administration's law that in the coming year keeps changing. The one the president had to offer goodies to some members of Congress to get their votes to pass it. The law Congress had to pass in order to find out what was in it. The law that had a failed launch and an even worse aftertaste.

For generations of Americans, a sense of opportunity has long defined the promise of our nation. This opportunity to succeed embodies the American Dream. However, in recent years, a growing federal government and weak economy has threatened this opportunity. Just a few days ago, Members of Congress gathered in the House Chamber to hear President Obama deliver his State of the Union address. While I listened to the speech with hope that I would hear a new, viable plan for job creation and economic growth, I was disheartened that, yet again, I heard many of the same faile

Richmond was cold and snowy this week, as it was in much of Virginia. As the hopes for those who dreamt of a mild winter faded, the General Assembly was busy and – in the Senate – pretty noisy. For me, though, the week featured two somewhat unusual “honors.”